Because You're Not As Fast As Me
by SaturnXK
Summary: The statement bounced around in Phinks' mind. Seven simple words, and yet it showed just how much Feitan cared about him.


**Hello, I am back with another one of my Feitan Phinks friendship fics. ****In this fic, Feitan will have correct grammar because it's easier that way. I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Phinks glanced down at the plate of soba noodles that rested on the table in front of him. Around, people chatted and talked over their food, laughing in a way Phinks never had. They were so carefree, knowing nothing of the dangers of the world around them. He was in a noodle bar, just eating a snack before he went on his way to meet up with Feitan to go to who-knows-where. Phinks supposed only time will tell.<p>

His lips twitched into a tiny smile as he stared down at the mori soba and remembered a memory of a time long ago, one that involved a certain, blue-haired friend of his. No, friend was not a word in Phinks' dictionary. Feitan was a comrade. Nothing more, nothing less. There was a difference between 'comrade' and 'friend'.

"Excuse me," he said to the old man who served the noodles, "can I have another plate?"

The old man nodded, smiling and turned to the bench behind him to make him more.

_Maybe I should take some with me__ for Feitan,_ Phinks thought. _Mori soba are his favourite kind, after all… _

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><p>Phinks and Feitan had just left Meteor City. They were twelve years old and they obviously looked as if they lived on the street. They found that a city was very much like the place they grew up, and had entered. They found that life in the city was the same as Meteor City. It was all the same; the coldness of the people, the uncaring way they acted.<p>

They had wandered the streets outside for ages, eyes wide, mouths gaping at everything that they saw around them. The two boys were sharp and had unusually high intellect for people of their… particular background. They soon picked up that they could not just take anything they wanted as they did back in Meteor City; that was considered stealing. No. They had to _pay_. Using _money._

But they were not regular citizens. They had no care for the rules of the society that had cast them out into Meteor City in the first place.

"Phinks," Feitan said, nudging the other boy. "Look." He pointed to where exquisitely carved pieces of wood shaped as animals stood proudly on their stands, their eyes replaced instead by tiny glittering jewels.

"Wow, how do they make those?" Phinks asked in awe, peering closer at the carving. A chill wind blew through the streets, whistling through Phinks' ragged, patched-up pants and torn jacket.

The boys eventually became hungry, and they found themselves sitting in a noodle bar, waiting eagerly for their food. A motherly woman smiled at them, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she set the two plates of mori soba noodles in front of them.

"Here you are, dears," she said. "Please, enjoy."

The two boys looked at the cold noodles in front of them, their eyes lit up with joy. This a special occasion to them, as they had never had food that was not mouldy, or already half eaten, or rotten. For the first time in their life, the food they were consuming was fresh and clean.

Phinks and Feitan glanced at the other tables and watched people use their chopsticks in an elegant manner that suggested that they were long accustomed to using the tools. The two of them looked at each other and shrugged, grabbed a pair of chopsticks each and digging in.

"Ne, we don't have any money," Phinks said. Feitan grinned at him, his golden eyes twinkling. Phinks liked Feitan's eyes, because they reminded him of himself. They were filled with the same pain, the same wildness that Phinks had experienced. They were the eyes Phinks had grown up around. He had been with Feitan for as long as he could remember. A world without Feitan was unthinkable.

"After you finish, go to the fruit shop," Feitan said, "I'll meet you there." Phinks frowned at him.

"What are you going to do?" Phinks asked. Feitan shrugged.

"I have some business to take care of," he mumbled. "Don't worry, I'll see you there." Phinks looked at him for a minute or two, and then shrugged, trusting his friend.

"Alright," Phinks said. He slurped up the rest of his noodles and stood up. "See you later." Feitan nodded at him, still finishing his own plate. Phinks wandered out of the store and went to the fruit shop as Feitan had instructed him to, which was a ways away from the noodle bar. He glanced over the shiny skins of apples, looked at the ripe yellow bananas and ran his hand over the wrinkly skin of oranges. He waited there for about ten minutes.

_Where the heck is he?_ Phinks thought. He waited restlessly for Feitan, his eyes darting around and he tried to look for the familiar head of blue hair. Finally, Phinks saw a small figure dodging through the legs of various people. Feitan then promptly smashed into Phinks, knocking him over.

"Ow!" Feitan cried, holding his head. His eyes widened once he saw who he ran into. Phinks was on the ground, rubbing his arm.

"Geez, Feitan, watch where you're going," Phinks said. Feitan laughed and pulled his friend to his feet.

"Sorry," Feitan said. Phinks raised an invisible eyebrow.

"Did you pay the storeowner?" he asked. Feitan nodded.

"I stole some money," Feitan grinned.

The two boys then set off about the streets. For some reason, Feitan steered clear of the noodle bar they had eaten in, but Phinks didn't question why. They stole some candy and walked around, licking it, marvelling at the sweetness that the candy contained.

The next day, Feitan and Phinks went to another noodle bar.

"Why can't we go back to the one we went to yesterday?" Phinks asked. Feitan shook his head. Phinks wasn't sure, but he thought he saw guilt flash across his face for a second.

"Just want to try a new place," Feitan said. His face was back to normal, and Phinks was sure he had imagined what he saw. Again, after their meal, Feitan told Phinks to go to the fruit store while Feitan finished his noodles. A few minutes after Phinks arrived, Feitan followed suit.

"Why are you out of breath?" Phinks asked. Feitan shook his head, panting, signalling him not to ask questions.

It fell into a routine. Every day, Feitan and Phinks would go to a different place to eat. Feitan would tell Phinks to go to the fruit store first, and then ten minutes later Feitan would appear. He would always be out of breath, but he would not tell Phinks why. But after two weeks, this routine was broken.

_Alright, this is the last time,_ Phinks thought as he paced the fruit shop. Phinks and Feitan had become a common sight for the keeper of the store, who was an old man, and the old man sometimes gave the two boys a few pieces of fruit every now and then. _When Feitan gets back, I'm gonna ask him why he always looks as if he was running away from something._

Phinks waited, and waited, and waited. But this time, Feitan did not come back. Phinks started to get worried.

_It's been half an hour already, where is he?_ Phinks thought. _I'm gonna go look for him._

He waved goodbye to the old man and went in search for the blue-haired boy.

_We ate at the same noodle bar __as the first time we came here,_ Phinks thought, _the one that sold mori soba._

He rounded the corner, and found that a small crowd had gathered around the bar. Heart sinking, Phinks crept forwards. His eyes widened when he saw who was in the middle.

The keeper of the noodle bar had Feitan by the ear, and the boy was glaring up at him defiantly. The owner was shouting curse words at him, and every now and then would slap Feitan across the face.

"Stupid boy, you think I wouldn't remember you?" the owner shouted. "First time you came to me, you ran away without paying! Don't think you're going to get let off easy! One minute, I see you and some other brat eating my noodles, and the next, you disappear and the table is empty!"

Realisation hit Phinks, and tendrils of guilt crept into his heart.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Geez, why do you look as if you've run a marathon?" Phinks asked. Feitan __stood there with his hands on his knees, catching his breath._

"_No reason," Feitan said cheerfully. __Phinks rolled his eyes._

"_Let's go," Phinks said._

_END FLASHBACK_

All those times, Feitan had always told Phinks to go to the fruit shop first. Phinks didn't know at the time, but it was because Feitan was planning to run. At food bars and restaurants, you paid after you ate your food. Phinks and Feitan had no money, and so the only option was to run after they had eaten. Why hadn't Phinks realised it before? That was the reason why Feitan did not want to go to the same food bars as they had eaten in, and that was why Feitan was always panting after they met up, because he was running away from the owner of the food bar they had eaten in.

Anger raged through Phinks, and he pushed his way through the crowd. The owner glanced up, but before he could react, Phinks kicked his shins, grabbed Feitan by the arm, and the pair of them disappeared. Phinks could hear the owner shouting after them, but he didn't care.

The two boys ran, chests heaving, until they found an alley. They took refuge in it, slumping down against the wall, breathing hard. Finally, Phinks mustered enough energy to glare at his friend.

"You idiot," Phinks said through gritted teeth. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Feitan did not look at him. He folded his arms and turned his head away.

"Why didn't you at least steal some money to that you could pay all those food bars that we ate in?" Phinks asked. He was angry. Angry that his friend lied to him. Angry that Feitan did not trust him enough to tell him the truth. Angry that Feitan got beaten up because Phinks was too clueless to see what was happening. But most of all, he was angry at himself for not protecting his friend. Feitan had turned into Phinks' brother. Brothers were supposed to help each other.

"Tell me!" Phinks said lividly. Finally, Feitan looked at him, his golden eyes shadowed, and what he said next almost made Phinks cry.

"Because you're not as fast as me," Feitan said quietly. Phinks was shocked into silence, his mouth had dropped open slightly.

_Because you're not as fast as me…_

_Because you're not as fast as me…_

_Because you're not as fast as me…_

_You're not as fast as me…_

_Not as fast as me…_

The statement bounced around in Phinks' mind. Seven simple words, and yet it showed just how much Feitan cared about him.

"Because you're not as fast as me," Feitan repeated. "I didn't want you getting caught, or you would get beat up as well. It's better for only one of us to get hurt rather than both."

"But, why didn't you steal any money?" Phinks asked. Feitan laughed mirthlessly. It was a hollow laugh, not one of amusement.

"People around here keep their money very close to them," Feitan said. "Almost impossible to steal." Phinks hung his head and covered his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice muffled. Feitan looked at him in surprise.

"What for?" Feitan asked, bemused.

"I'm sorry for not being there," Phinks whispered. Feitan stared at him for a second, and then he rolled his eyes, exasperated.

"Fool," Feitan said.

"But I still don't understand," Phinks said, looking up to meet Feitan squarely in the eye. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Feitan sighed, running a hand through his navy blue hair.

"I thought we've gone through this, or do you still not understand," Feitan said. Phinks glared at him.

"Why?" he demanded. Feitan smiled slightly at him, and when he spoke, his voice was soft.

"Because you're not as fast as me."

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><p>A fully grown Phinks ambled through the streets, looking for his comrade. He spotted a familiar silhouette against a wall.<p>

"Yo, Feitan!" Phinks called. The figure turned his head towards him, and sharp golden eyes met his.

"Phinks," Feitan said through his bandana, "what took you so long?"

Phinks feigned a look of hurt.

"Is that all I get after going through the trouble of bringing you food?" he asked. Feitan raised a slender eyebrow. Phinks grinned and held the container of mori soba out to him. Feitan took it, stared at the noodles, then at Phinks' face, then back at the noodles again.

"What is this for?" he asked. Phinks shrugged.

"It's been sixteen years since that day," Phinks said. Feitan glanced at him for a second.

"For some reason, I still remember it clearly," Feitan murmured. "Che, I must be getting soft." Phinks smirked, and jerked his head towards the gates of the city.

"Let's go," Phinks said. "Let's get out of here." Feitan stowed the container of mori soba somewhere in the folds of his bandit clothes and, along with Phinks, took off at a run.

"Aren't you going to eat them?" Phinks asked. Feitan met his eyes. Feitan's eyes were still icy, still twin pools of frozen gold, but Phinks could see through them to the soul beneath. Feitan's soul was black, tattered in some places and torn in others, but there was a tiny part that was still white. That part signified the friendship that he and Phinks shared.

No, friend was not a word in any of the Genei Ryodan's dictionaries, but perhaps they should put it in. Comrades could turn into friends. It wasn't a difficult process, after all.

Feitan and Phinks darted through the crowds, mere blurs in the afternoon sun. Feitan looked behind him, and to Phinks' surprise, he slowed down. Later, when they were walking at a leisurely pace, did Phinks open his mouth to question him about it.

"Why did you slow down?" Phinks asked. "You never slow down." Feitan glanced at him, and though Phinks could not see it, his mouth curved up slightly at the corners.

"Because you're not as fast as me."

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><p><strong>This fic was actually based off a real story. <strong>**Someone very close to me told me this story. You could say that he was Feitan, while his friend was Phinks in their own pasts. I thought it was really touching, so I wrote a fic for it.**

**REVIEW!**


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